


Insomnia

by MaferLightwood99



Category: Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare, Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV), The Night Walkers Series - J. R. Johansson
Genre: Angst, Confusion, Dark, Dreams, M/M, Magnus knows more than he says, Night Walkers, Nightmares, Paranoia, Smut, Some Clace, Watchers, alter ego Alec, and other weird ships, body-stealing, builders, dream manipulators, hostility, some Sizzy - Freeform, some catarina x ragnor, some death(s) along the way, some magnus x camille, some ragnor x raphael, some saphael, sorry - Freeform, takers - Freeform, tired!alec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 12:17:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6753475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaferLightwood99/pseuds/MaferLightwood99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec knew he wasn’t normal when he turned 14 years old, because that was the year he stopped having his own dreams and instead he started going to other people's dreams. After that, his body started to feel sore and his mind was exhausted. <br/>And until now, he has not been able to sleep. <br/>Right now, weeks after he turned 18, things have gotten worse. With dark bags under his eyes, and his whole being screaming for help, Alec knew that he didn’t have a lot time left to live. It was a miracle he could have even made it this far. And throughout the years he discovered that this weird dreams that he now has are not his but the last person he made eye contact with. Yeah, pretty weird, right? <br/>And now with these weird shadows he started seeing, his mood changes being drastically increased and this creepy version of him that only he can see, he is hoping for the worst. <br/>Until he meets Magnus Bane and everything he thought he knew and believed, went down the drain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is based on The Night Walkers series, it's set in that world but with The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices' characters.  
> Everything will be explained, I promise, and you'll have a little inside of The Night Walker's plot throughout some of the characters. 
> 
> Enligh is NOT my native language so I apologize for any mistakes.  
> Enjoy ;)

_Alec knew he wasn’t normal when he turned 14 years old. He was pretty average before that: he had good grades, had some friends, did the things he liked, like archery, could sleep… And then, just like that, one night he just couldn’t rest. At all. He went to bed like every other single night and closed his eyes, he started to drift off and then instead of having his usual dreams, he was enveloped in this weird dream in which his sister was the protagonist, and when he woke up… it was like he didn’t sleep at all. His body was aching and his mind was exhausted._

_And until now, he has not been able to sleep._

_Right now, weeks after he turned 18 things have gotten worse. With dark bags under his eyes, sore muscles and a very exhausted mind, Alec knew he didn’t have a lot time left to live. He always thought he wouldn’t survive a year, let alone 4 years without being able to sleep properly! It was a miracle he could have even made it this far! But the feeling of exhaustion was way worst that before. And throughout the years he discovered that this weird dreams that he now has are not his but the last person he made eye contact with. Yeah, pretty weird, right?_

_And now with these weird shadows he started seeing, his mood changes being drastically increased and this creepy version of him that only he can see, he is hoping for the worst._

_Until he meets Magnus Bane and everything he thought he knew and believed, went down the drain._

 

 *******************

 

 

I woke up and felt worse than I did before. I rubbed my face with my hands and sighed. But at least I was pulled out of Mr. Smith’s dream, our neighbor. Who would thought that his neighbor would have a vivid, _vivid_ imagination? I shuddered. 

“Alec! C’mon we gotta go to school!” shouted my sister, Isabelle.

“Coming.”

I couldn’t care less about school to be honest, I wasn’t any good at it anymore, not since I was 14, but I needed to go to keep appearances. Nobody knew about me no sleeping, I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid they would not believe me or think I’m crazy, but I’m not, I swear. Or maybe I am and that’s why I’m the only person I know that enters into dreams that are not theirs.

“Alec, hurry, Mom told me that it takes more time to go to school from here.” Isabelle didn’t care about privacy at all. She entered whenever she wanted to my room.

“I’m ready. _Jesus_ , Izzy, give me a break, I just woke up.”

“Oh I can notice that. You are wearing the same thing you wore yesterday and look at you hair! Damn, Alec, at least put some effort. And try to sleep more, okay? The bags under your eyes are _huge_.” If I could, I would.

“Well I don’t care about what I wear, it’s just school, who would care how I dress?”

“Um, all the school, perhaps? But okay, whatever. And did you notice that there’s no hot water in here? I showered with _cold_ water! _Jesus,_ how do you do it?”

“You just get used to. What about Dad’s house? Is it too perfect that you can’t stand a little cold water?” I knew I was being bitter to her but I was cranky and I just needed to lash out on someone.

Isabelle looked at me like if I was crazy and shook her head.

“Alec, you know Dad, he is too perfectionist when it comes to the house and besides you are being too moody lately.” Izzy looked at her watch and her eyes widened. “Shit, it’s too late, let’s go.”

“Sure.”

We made our way to the garage and we saw Mom sitting on the sofa asleep with a lot of papers surrounding her.

“Mom.” I called her, shaking her a little bit. She always fell asleep working late. I could hear her mumbling angry late in the nights. I used to get into her dreams because I didn’t like being in stranger’s dreams but when she started having this weird dreams about her work and Dad and a lot of other things ─me included─, I stopped. I just couldn’t invade her privacy like that and it was weird to look at yourself in people’s dreams.

“What?” She stirred a bit and opened her eyes. “Alec, honey? What time is it?”

“Almost 7 am, Iz and I are heading to school, you should go to your room and rest a little bit before work.”

“Thanks, Alec.” She started picking up her papers and I got out to the car where my sister was waiting for me with a scowl on her face.

“What?” I asked her but I knew the answer.

“You should stop doing that to her.”

“Doing what?”

“You know, Alec. Letting her just work like that and you being responsible for everything else in the house! You are a teenager, you shouldn’t take care of that, not yet at least.”

“She is _our_ mom, Isabelle, you like it or not, and she is working too hard to maintain the house and all of the debts _Dad_ left her with.” I knew that it wasn’t completely true but it wasn’t a lie either. Sure, she had debts but they weren’t serious. I just had to defend her from _daddy’s little girl_.

“You know that’s not completely true, Alec! He is giving her money to help her!”

“Is he?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, just… forget it.”

Sometimes it was easy to forget that she didn’t know everything about our parent’s divorce. I missed when we were all a unite family, without problems… Well, the problems were there, they just were well hidden. Now that Isabelle and Max were living with Dad and I was living with Mom, things were always… tense. I love my mom but she hasn’t been the same since the divorce and I was the only one stuck with her. I knew that Dad wasn’t any better but at least he was home for dinner and cared about Isabelle and Max’s education, meaning he knew how they were doing at school and helped them when they had problems. I shouldn’t defend him so much since he hasn’t talk to me properly since I came out to him before the divorce. That’s one of the reasons I was with Mom. He stopped talking to me and I guess, loving me. But I was okay with it because then it will be easy for him to move on when I die. That’s why I’m okay too with Isabelle and Max being away from me. They would get used to the idea of not being with me and everything will be easy for them. And Mom… I guess since she is not too often in the house, everything will be fine.

Right now Isabelle was here with me and Mom because Dad had to go on a business trip and Max was in a school exchange. Dad was going to send Isabelle to because she wanted to go but she is not responsible enough to take care of him, according to Dad, and I agree with him. And she didn’t stay alone in her house for the same reason. She couldn’t cook to save her life and she was too easy distracting herself.

 

We arrived at the school and Izzy ran to meet her friends before the bell rang. She didn’t even say goodbye, but I was used to that by now. She wasn’t trying to be mean to me, I knew that. She was just tired of us fighting over our parents.

“Hey, Alec!” I turned around and saw my best friend, Jace, running towards me.

“Hey, Jace, what’s up?”

“Oh nothing much. But I saw Isabelle pretty pissed.”

“Yeah, she is mad at me but I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“What did you say?”

“Something about our parents, you know, the usual.”

“Alright. But you two seriously need to talk and solve everything out, okay? Because I’m trapped in the middle of it! And she wants me to pick her side and you will want me to do the same and it’s no fun, man.”

“Pick her side? Did she seriously ask you that?”

“Well, not in those exact words but yes.”

“ _Dammit_ , she is pissed, like for real.”

“Well, you can’t exactly blame her, you haven’t been easy on her” I was going to protest but he interrupted me. “I know why but she doesn’t, so try to understand her. I’m just saying.”

“Fine, I’m just gonna ignore the problem and end of discussion.” I scowled. I knew Jace was right but that doesn’t mean I had to like it.

“You make everything difficult, Alec.”

“C’mon, let’s go to class.”

We made our way to our classroom and Jace started talking about a movie he watched but I couldn’t concentrate in what he was saying. My head was pounding and about to explode.

“— and then this weird dust started to cover the main character and suddenly… Alec, are you okay?” I stopped walking and saw his worried expression.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just couldn’t sleep.”

“You’ve been telling me that for the past… what? YEARS!” I looked everywhere but him. I didn’t like lying to my friend but I couldn’t tell him the truth.

“You know me; I have sleep problems.” I tried to walk again but he stopped me.

“Alec, I think you should get help, like a doctor or a psychologist.”

“You have told me that before but I… No. I’m fine, Jace, really.” When I was 15 I went to a psychologist because I thought that maybe this was normal in a very strange way and that he could help me. When I started talking to him about some of my dreams, he just… didn’t understand at all. He made wrong diagnosis and I stopped going with him. My mom was having a bad time trying to decipher what was going on with me and she was very confused as why I stopped going with Dr. Wells, and I lied to her. It was a very stupid lie but she believed me and I was happy about that. Dr. Wells wasn’t a very good psychologist; he didn’t even talk to Mom about what he thought what was going on with me but I was very thankful for that.

“Dude, you are everything but fine. Look, your grades and getting lower and lower, you are being so grumpy lately and you look half dead!” He didn’t even flinch at my glare but he looked uncomfortable.

“Jace, please, stop. I’m fine, okay? I just… I need to finish school and then I’m going to take a break.” His eyes widened.

“What?! And what about college? I thought we were going together?” He looked confused and sad but I had to stick with my decision.

“I know, but I’m tired and the situation with my mom is not easy and with my dad too and I don’t even know what career I want!” People around started to pay attention to us and that was the least I wanted. “Please, Jace, just… drop it. We can talk about this other day, if you want. But right now I just wanna go to class and finish this day.”

“If that is what you really want…” He rushed inside the building and I sighed. Today definitely wasn’t my day.

 

\----

 

“—and for that, of course, he was killed later on. So what I’m really trying to say with this is…” I sighed and I tried not to fall asleep on my desk. My history teacher really was boring. I looked at my other classmates and I made eye contact with a guy named Lucas. I looked away immediately but the damage was done. Well, at least he is awake now. I can sleep and be in my void for a while. I pretended I was reading my text book and closed my eyes.

 

I was enveloped in this white void again and I exhaled. It wasn’t exactly rest but it was better than being in stranger’s dreams. I laid in there and closed my eyes. I was starting to feel a little bit better when everything surrounded me changed and started taking the form of a dream. _Lucas’ dream._

 _Fuck_.

Everything started taking form and suddenly I was in a crowded beach. I heard a woman screaming unintelligible things when as fast as I arrived at the beach, I was now underwater. I felt how I started to panic quickly but it wasn’t only _my_ panic, it was Lucas’ too. I tried to breathe and I could but just not enough. I tried to find Lucas and I saw a glimpse at my right. I turned toward the glimpse and I saw a boy of no more than 5 years old trying to swim to the surface but he had his eyes closed so instead of going up he was swimming towards me. I tried to find the surface too because my anxiety was increasing but like this was Lucas’ dream, I couldn’t because there was no surface in his dream. He drowned when he was a kid. Maybe someone else rescued him when he was already unconscious or something.

And then everything started getting weird.

Lucas was still drowning but he opened his eyes and saw a _mermaid_. I narrowed my eyes and knew this was the part of the _dream_ and not the _memory_ anymore. The mermaid smiled at Lucas and swam around him, her hair dancing in the water. I felt Lucas’ panic starting to relax but this whole thing was weird. I knew he was waiting for something to happen.

The mermaid started doing tricks in the water and I saw Lucas smiling. And then I knew what he was expecting to happen. The flawless face of the mermaid transformed into this grotesque monster: her teeth transformed into fangs and her smooth skin was now full of cracks and green, her eyes where now black and her hair transformed into eels. Lucas screamed but he swallowed water and his back arched as he coughed and tried to breathe. The mermaid swam at great speed towards him but before she could catch him I was pulled out of his dream.

When I came back to my senses, I heard the ringing bell that indicated the end of the class. I put my hand on my chest and felt my heart beating at great speed. I turned to look at Lucas and I saw him breathing quickly and trying to collect his stuff with shaky hands. I wanted to go to help him but I didn’t. Last time I tried to help someone after have witnessed their nightmare, they spat at me saying not to get into their business, so I stopped trying.

I went to the cafeteria and tried to locate Jace but I didn’t see him. He was probably trying to make Clary skip class with him.

“Alec, wait!” Someone grabbed my arm and turned me to face them.

Simon Lewis was Clary’s best friend and I knew he had something with my sister, Izzy.

“Hello, Simon.” Simon wasn’t that bad when you get to know him. Actually, he had a lot of thing in common with me but I barely talked to him.

“How are you? I was looking for Clary and I think she is with Jace and since you are Jace’s best friend I thought you could know where they are.”

“Umm, no, I don’t know where they are. I was looking for Jace too.” Simon bit his lip and scratched the back of his head.

“Okay, well, since you are not with Jace and I’m not with Clary maybe we can sit here together?” I lifted an eyebrow at him and that made him looked more awkward.

“Sure.” I answered him. It couldn’t be that bad.

 

Jace and Clary arrived at some point but we barely noticed them as Simon and I were invested in this Doctor Who discussion.

“And y’know, my mind was blown when we finally knew the truth about River, I mean—“

“Oh my God, someone make him stop. My ears are bleeding.” Jace complained and I shot him a furious glare while Clary elbowed him.

“Jace! You can’t talk to Simon like that.” Clary hissed. Jace just rolled his eyes.

“C’mon! Don’t tell me you understand a half of what he is saying, Clary.”

“Actually, I do, Jace, as I’ve been watching Doctor Who for as long as he has.”

“Alec! Backed me up on this.” I rolled my eyes.

“I watch Doctor Who too, Jace, and I find what Simon says interesting.”

Jace gasped. “Betrayed by my own _parabatai_!”

“What’s a _parabatai_?” Simon asked.

“When we were little we liked to read this stories of a certain ancient mythology that had this legend of a pair of parabatai that were a pair of Nephilim warriors who fought together and were closer than siblings, they promised to have each other’s backs and be there with them no matter what.” I explained.

“That’s beautiful. You guys are adorable.” Clary smiled and then frowned. “Hey, I want a _parabatai_ too.” She looked at Simon and clapped her hand. “Simon, be my _parabatai_?” Simon looked taken aback and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What? Like, seriously?”

“Yes! I wouldn’t be asking if I was only joking. _Please_.”

“But, Clary, this is serious business. Didn’t you see Jace and Alec’s faces when they were talking about it?” Clary laughed and Jace growled.

“Careful, Lewis.” Simon shrugged and grabbed Clary’s hands.

“Of course I will be your _parabatai_ , Clary.” She beamed.

“After this weird episode,” Jace said and Clary pouted at that “we have to discuss our triple date.”

“Yes! Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks, Jace.” Jace grinned. Simon glanced at me with a weird expression on his face.

“I thought it was a double date, just you two, me and…” he stopped and tried not to blush.

“You and who?” I asked. Jace tried not to look at me and laughed quietly.

“Nobody, I mean, pff, me and… me and my loneliness.” I frowned.

“Right.”

“And who’s gonna be the third pair?” Simon asked trying to leave that awkward topic for him behind.

“Obviously, Alec and whoever he wants to invite.” My eyes widened.

“What?! What are you talking about?”

“Alec! You need to come with us and relax and stop being stressed all the time.”

“I think being on a date is going to cause me more stress!” Jace shook his head.

“You need this, Alec. Man, when was the last time we had fun together?”

“Jace…”

“Alec…”

I sighed.

“You know what? Fine. Whatever.”

“YES.”

“I’m just gonna ask Izzy to come with me because no way in hell I’m gonna ask someone else.” Simon reddened and Clary giggled.

“That’s not gonna be possible, bro.” Jace said with a big smile.

“Why not?”

“Well, I…” Simon started and I understood. Oh.

_Oh._

“Oh, right, yeah. Totally.” I blushed and Simon looked so mortified.

“Yes, Simon and _Isabelle_ are going with us.” Jace was smiling like an idiot.

“I get that, Jace. Thanks.” I spat at him. Simon made a weird noise and I noticed his red face. I know my face was red too because I could feel my blush in my cheeks and neck.

“Just keep that awkwardness for the date, don’t you think?” Clary said. Simon rolled his eyes at her friend making Clary smile. Jace sighed.

Clary and Simon were best friends since they were in Kindergarten, beating Jace and me since I met him when we were in between 3rd Grade and 4th Grade. They were practically raised in this school and everybody here has probably talked to them at least once. The jocks didn’t really mess with them, just Simon sometimes and before Clary started dating Jace, they joked from time to time about her hair, but it wasn’t a big deal.

When we were 16, now being sophomores, Jace got transferred to art class for some reason and that’s when he started talking to Clary. There was attraction since day one —even if they didn’t want to admit it— but they “hated” their guts until Jace started dating Aline and Clary got jealous. Jace confronted her about it and she obviously denied it but when Jace kissed her, she melted into it. Then Clary got so mad Jace kissed her when he was dating Aline but he reassured her saying they were fake dating to know if Aline was lesbian, which got confirmed after that. And that’s how Jace and Clary started dating.

Now, the thing with Simon is more complicated. Simon was in love with Clary. Since they were kids and still in their teenage days but Clary was oblivious to it because she thought it was normal to be treated like that by Simon. He never made a move until Jace appeared. He felt Clary was starting to leave him so he dated Maureen. Of course they didn’t last because Maureen found out she was a replacement and broke up with him. But Clary started noticing Simon’s behavior and confronted him about it. Simon told her what he felt about her and Clary gave him this speech of they being made to be each other’s —for a lack of a better word, or me not knowing what she exactly said, just repeating Jace’s words— _parabatai_. He understood and let her go. That’s when Maia and Isabelle got into the picture. He was dating Maia but then Isabelle and… it was weird. But then Maia got back with her ex-boyfriend Jordan and then with a guy named Bat, and the thing with Isabelle remained weird. Izzy didn’t like being attached to someone so much and Simon confused about her feelings for her and she was too.

Just how do I know that much? Yeah, you discover a lot of things being in their dreams. Not that I told them I knew. I kept it a secret.

Like their really weird dreams and their… wet dreams. There’s a limit of the amount of knowledge you should know about a person, and knowing their kinks surpassed that limit.

“But we need to know who else is going to be there.” I heard Clary saying and I was back to reality.

“Alec, who will you invite?” Jace asked me.

“I don’t know.”

“You can invite… Zack!”

“Shh!” I shushed him. “You don’t need to shout.” I didn’t want anybody to know he mentioned a _boy_ instead of a girl’s name.

Jace rolled his eyes and Clary sighed.

“You know, Alec, it’s not a bad thing to be gay, you know.” She whispered.

“Some people don’t seem to know that.” I sighed. She bit her lip.

“Then who, Alec? Who will go with you?”

“I don’t know and hey, why Zack?” Jace smiled smugly.

“I have witnessed how you stare at him and you make this puppy eyes when he walks around you in the hallway.” I felt my face going red.

“I don’t make puppy eyes at him because I don’t even look at him.” I hissed.

“You totally do, bro.” Simon said and I sent him a glare. He shrugged awkwardly.

“I do not.”

“You do.” Clary said.

“Ugh, believe what you want but I am NOT going to invite him. For three reasons. One, I don’t like him. Two, I don’t even know if he is gay or bi. And three, if he was gay or bi, I wouldn’t know if he is into me. Which would never happen. None of the reasons would happen.”

“Bummer.” Jace sighed. “And for the record, he is gay and into you.”

“WHAT? How do you know?”

“It’s obvious, Alec!” Clary giggled.

“No, it’s not obvious for me.” Zack... into me? No. No way. What?

“He stares at you when you walk past him and one day you didn’t go to school he asked me if you were okay. Then when he chose you to be his lab partner in biology…”

“But I’m your partner.” I said. To say I as confused was very lightly. He asked Jace to know if I was okay? OH. MY. GOD.

“But we chose partners the day you went home because of the migraine, remember? And when I was telling the teacher why you weren’t there and that you were going to be my partner, I heard Zack saying that he wanted you as his lab partner, but like I had already told the teacher, he had to stick with Joe.”

“And why didn’t you tell me?” I nearly yelled but I controlled myself in time.

“Because I forgot and thought it wasn’t really a big deal but then Clary mentioned him eye-fucking you in the hallway and I remembered that memory and I knew then that Zack has a crush on you, my brother.”

I gaped at him and I even felt my ears go red. _Jesus Christ_. _OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. WHAT THE HELL?!_

“I feel like I’m gonna pass out. _Oh my God_.” Clary giggled again and I hid my face with my hands.

“Now you know and you have to invite him.”

“No! I can’t. And even if I were, which I’m not, to be clear, I wouldn’t invite him for a first day with you.” Jace made a fake hurt face.

“Why not?”

“Because the point of a first date is to be alone as to know each other.”

“That’s not true! Clary and I had our first date with some friends.”

“And look how it turned out.” I said jokingly. Jace gasped.

“Rude.” Clary pouted.

“Besides, you would only embarrass me, Jace.”

“Not true. I would tell him some stories about you for him to know the real you.”

“Proving my point. Jace, all my stories are embarrassing!”

“True, but he has to know the real you and not the fake… you. Or are you planning not to tell him?”

“Oh my God, I would tell him eventually, but not at the beginning.”

“So you would hooked him and when you know he has really no escape, you would reveal yourself. Great, Alec, just great.”

“No! Just…”

“And besides, I would threaten him, so there’s that too.”

“What? Threaten him about what?”

“Not hurting you! I don’t want you hurt. He is going to be your first relationship, Alec, and I don’t want you to…”

“By the Angel, Jace, stop!” Jace knew I was serious because I used ‘ _By the Angel´_ instead. That was a term of our favorite mythology and we used in rare occasions, like this one. When one was serious about something. _“_ You… _we_ are talking as if Zack and I really are a thing or as if I’m going to ask him out, but that’s not gonna happen.” Jace frowned.

“C’mon, Alec. Well, yes, I would threaten him for not for real… Only if he doesn’t hurt you, because if he does then I swear to God I…”

“It’s not because of what you said.” I murmured.

Jace’s face softened and his voice too. “Then why, Alec?”

“I can’t be in a relationship, I just… can’t. I’m not ready, okay?” Jace, Simon and Clary looked at me as if I was kid that didn’t know what to do and that annoyed me. “And besides I’m not even out of the closet here in the school yet. Just to you guys, Izzy and my parents, and with them didn’t go too well, my mother ignores the topic and my father ignores _me_ , now imagine how everyone in the school, how they are gonna act. And I don’t think Zack would like to have a secret relationship or have to hide, so… no. Just leave it, please?” I whispered quietly but I knew they heard me and I lifted my head to see some _pity_ on their faces. Ugh. I hated pity. But I couldn’t tell them the real reason. And then I would have more pity. So no thank you.

Just then the bell rang and that relieved me from going back to that topic.

“See you later, guys.” I almost knocked a kid over because I was walking to fast to my other classes. I felt their eyes on my back but I did everything to ignore the prickling sensation and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter means that these are some of the last 'normal' days for Alec (if you can call them that) before the arrival of a certain character (along with others) that will mess up with Alec's world. And others.  
> I hope you have understood some parts and that you are not confused... if you are, sorry.  
> Thanks for reading it!


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